Originally planned for release this fall and more recently delayed into the winter of 2008, Kojima Productions' crazily anticipated (and most likely just plain crazy) PlayStation 3 stealth action sequel Metal Gear Solid 4 is now due in Q2 2008. The news was divulged in a statement made by publisher Konami's Japanese operation.

"Konami has decided to delay the title's release in order to make further improvements to the quality of the game and provide even greater enjoyment for more customers worldwide," reads the brief update. "Konami will continue its efforts to make 'Metal Gear Solid 4 Guns of the Patriots' meet everyone's expectations."

MGS4 has been frequently and persistently rumored to be in the works for Xbox 360 as well as PS3, but today's update unsurprisingly still makes reference only to Sony's platform. Comments made by Konami employees earlier this year were vague, sometimes dancing around the issue and sometimes seemingly leaving the door open for a potential port. So far, the most straightforward word on the matter has come from Sony rather than Konami, with the platform holder stating during E3 that Snake's latest is indeed a PS3 exclusive.